From the late 1970s through the present day the ability of general purpose digital computing devices to perform a wide variety of tasks has continually expanded. As a result, the use of personal computers has proliferated in businesses, homes, academia, and a multitude of other environments. Further, due to more recent advances in technology, the use of compact portable computers for travel has become feasible and even common-place.
Today, as the proliferation of personal computers continues, individuals routinely use more than a single computer in their work. This allows computer files to be created at one location and transferred to a computer at another location for modification there. As used herein the term "file" means a computer document created from a computer application or a folder containing such computer documents. The term "transfer" means to copy a file from one folder to another. The copied file may reside on the same computer or on separate computers.
Individuals typically use a second computer to engage in after-hours employment related work. These users have a computer at their home in addition to one at their office, and perhaps even a portable computer for travel. Thus, they can create a file at the office, transfer the file from their office computer to their home computer, and modify the file at home. On the succeeding business day, the users mav transfer the modified file back to their office computer for further use there. Additionally, for travel, many users transfer files to a portable computer for use or modification while traveling.
Most businesses have multiple computers. with secretaries as well as engineers, researchers and managers typically having their own office computer. These computers are often networked together in order to allow files to be easily transferred between employees. File transfer may be further facilitated by using a central file server in connection with a network. Central servers contain often used files, such as standard business forms, thereby allowing employees to easily access and transfer needed files to their respective computers for use and modification there.
The increasing use of multiple computers and networked systems by single entities has led to an increase in the transfer of files between or among that entity's computers. A problem associated with file transfer between computers is the resulting creation of multiple file versions when the transferred file copy or the original file copy is later modified. Thus, two file versions exist for each file that is transferred to, and modified on, another computer. Multiple file versions cause confusion as to whether a particular file copy is the up-to-date version. Such confusion can lead to the use of an outdated file version.
In a network environment, for example, an original document, such as a letter, may be typed and saved by a secretary at his or her computer. The letter then may be transferred over the network to the originator's computer for review. The originator can then rough edit and store the letter on his or her computer. Thus, a second version of the letter is created and stored on the originator's computer. When satisfied with this second version, the originator may print out a hard copy of the letter for review by a third person. The third person may perform a final edit by marking-up the printed copy. The marked-up copy is then given to the secretary for entry of those marked changes. If the secretary adds the marked changes to the original version on his or her computer, the final letter will be incorrect. It will not incorporate the originator's rough edit changes. Therefore. when modifying a file, a secretary must either insure he or she has the up-to-date file version by manually checking the copies that were transferred to other computers, or risk using an outdated file version.
The problem of multiple file versions also exists where files are transferred from central servers to individual employee computers. For example, where salesmen copy a standard price list, the file versions on the individual computers will become increasingly outdated as the standard price list is periodically updated. Thus, one salesman's price list may be two weeks old, while another's is one week old, and a third's is up-to-date. This can result in incorrect and conflicting information being used by a business.
In the absence of a network between computers, as is usually the case with a user's home and office computers, files are often transferred between the computers by a "sneaker-net". In a sneaker-net, a user "networks" its home and office computers by physically transporting files back and forth on storage media. As used herein the phrase "storage media" means a device capable of storing information in a format readable by a computer. The phrase "removable storage media" means a storage media device that is readily insertable and removable from a computer. Typically in a sneaker-net, a removable storage media, such as a floppy disk is used. Increasingly, however, portable computers are used as a means of transporting files in a sneaker-net environment. The use of a portable computer allows files to be transferred between the transporting storage media, the portable computer's hard disk drive, and the user's home or office computer more quickly over a local connection than can be done with removable storage media. The phrase "local connection" means a connection between computers in close proximity over which files or other information may be transferred. For example, the connection may be by serial or parallel cable. Further, the connection may be wireless using infrared or RF (radio frequency). Sneaker-net environments also lead to multiple file versions because files are transferred and modified on separate computers.
While the problem of multiple file versions may be alleviated by manually and continually updating older file versions when newer ones are created, that solution is impractical. Users typically create and edit multiple documents from various directories contemporaneously with one another. Thus, they cannot always remember what file versions in which directories are the most up-to-date. Further still, a user may be unaware that a newer version of a file even exists, such as when a standard form on a central server has been updated by management.
A second problem associated with file transfers between computers is resulting file conflicts. For example, a file conflict occurs when a single user independently modifies two separate versions of the same file. File conflicts also occur when two users, each with his or her own copy of the same file, such as a proposal, independently modify his or her own copy and thus create two "latest" versions of that file. Conflicting file versions cannot be readily reconciled because neither version incorporates the modifications of both users. In such cases, a version containing the modifications of both users can only be created by merging the two versions.
Therefore, there exists a need for a method and system for associating, synchronizing and reconciling files in a computer system. As used herein, the term "associate" means to link two or more files for synchronization. The term "synchronize" means to determine whether associated files are up-to-date and, if they are not, to recommend a preferred reconciliation action. "Reconciliation" is the act of updating or merging associated files. As used herein the term "updating" means replacing outdated file versions with an upto-date file version. The term "outdated" means that the file has not been modified since the last reconciliation action and an associated file has been modified. The term "up-to-date" means that the file represents the latest version available, which further means that either the file has been modified since the last reconciliation action and its associated files have not been modified, that neither the file nor its associated files have been modified since the last reconciliation action or that an associated file is not available for synchronization.
The association method and system should be user friendly, allowing users to intuitively associate files. Synchronization should automatically determine the status of associated files, report existing file conflicts and recommend proper reconciliation actions. The method and system should be able to function in both network and sneaker-net environments. Further, the method and system should provide an application interface to allow applications to merge files of their own type when file conflicts occur. Further still, file association and synchronization should operate as part of a computer operating system so that a separate application does not need to be launched.
Various methods have been used in the prior art for file association, synchronization and reconciliation. The earliest methods used a synchronization relationship to periodically back-up a computer's secondary memory. Back-up relationships, however, are only one way in nature. from a first computer to a second computer. Thus, such back-up synchronization methods are only designed for situations where files are created and modified on only one computer. As such, back-up relationships do not fulfill the present need because often files are modified on separate computers. Thus, back-up methods do not solve the need for a method and system for associating, synchronizing and reconciling files that are modified on different computers.
More recently, various other methods of associating, synchronizing and reconciling files have been used. These methods, however, do not provide an intuitive method of file association and synchronization in both a network and a sneaker-net environment. Further, the prior art methods do not provide for adequate reconciliation because they do not include an application interface for merging conflicting files. Moreover, because the prior art methods are not seamlessly integrated into an operating system, user interface or shell, they must be separately launched.
Thus, there exists a need for a method and system for intuitively associating, synchronizing and reconciling computer files. Further, there exists a need for an associating, synchronizing and reconciling method and system that will interface with computer applications in order to allow conflicting files to be merged.